AT the 22nd time of asking since 1953 Wales today set out to get the better of the All Blacks with the burden of history weighing heavily on their shoulders.

The Millennium Stadium, packed to the rafters, full of passionate fans will once again throb to the haka and bedlam will break out whether there is any Welsh brinkmanship or not.

That much will be the same - will the result also be the same, yet another defeat for Wales in this historic fixture which decades ago was closely fought but has now become a procession?

The answer is likely to be more of the same, for Wales have been fatally wounded by the absence of three of their heroic Lions.

Losing one is enough, but a trio of them is probably too much for them to overcome. All are key men - Lee Byrne at full back, Mike Phillips at scrum half and Adam Jones at tight head prop.

And to make matters worse second choice No 9 Dwayne Peel, also a world class player, could not be considered either because the game is outside the International Board’s window for autumn Tests and as Peel plays outside Wales his English club Sale are not obliged to release him.

So Wales will go in with third choice Gareth Cooper at scrum half and coach Warren Gatland has improvised in the other two positions.

He has opted for James Hook at full back when he is an outside half by choice, though often playing at inside centre as well, but rarely at 15.

And in place of Jones at tight head he has gone for Paul James, though he usually plays at loose head for the Ospreys.

So it’s a heck of a gamble and the back three, while offering plenty of flair in attack, looks pretty limited defensively without any kind of physical presence. Shane Williams is just 5ft 7ins and Leigh Halfpenny only three inches taller while Hook hardly offers a robust presence.

So it’s not difficult to imagine the trio being peppered with a series of high kicks, whether it’s Dan Carter or Stephen Donald playing at outside half for the All Blacks.

Wales would be presented with a massive lift if Carter withdraws before the game because of the calf injury he suffered during last week’s game against Australia when his metronomic boot provided another 22 points.

He has averaged 18 points in his five appearances against Wales and if he does pass his fitness test he could well haunt them again.

Wales are sure to be sent out by coach Warren Gatland full of fire and passion and they will seek to launch centre Jamie Roberts on some of his lung bursting runs which have thrust him on to the world stage.

It’s also a key game for new lock partnership Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris, Gatland clearly expecting big things from the Dragons man, readily quoting his height and weight this week with a big hint that he needs to ‘punch’ his weight.

And Roberts’ fellow Lions Gethin Jenkins and Martyn Williams could be key figures after their experiences against the Springboks this summer.

Their return after shoulder operations should mean they are refreshed after such a long break and Williams’ tussle against All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is likely to be one of the features of the match.

McCaw will have to be tamed if Wales are to succeed for he has that knack of bossing games, frequently accused of cheating, as Gatland put it this week, and it’s not unknown for him to impose himself on the match referee.

It could be said that All Blacks coach Graham Henry, the wise old former Wales chief, has shown them a certain amount of disrespect, though he denies it, by making half-a-dozen changes from the side which beat Australia, the team chosen before they even left their own shores.

They may say that Wales will be their toughest game on their tour, but though they field one of their more inexperienced teams - wing Zac Guildford making his debut, prop Wyatt Crockett with just one cap and four more under 20 appearances - they are never short of confidence or ability.

Wales will have to play to their absolute limit, they’ll have to be at their peak from 1-15 if they are to unsettle the All Blacks, who always seem to play in a higher gear.

They may have had an indifferent year by their standards, losing four times, three to the Springboks, but they won’t want to be the first All Blacks team to lose to Wales since 1953.

That alone will spur them on, and they are set to emerge triumphant yet again.